Detachable tread-piece for shoes.



No. 793,001. PATENTED JUNE 20. 1905.

J. MARTIN.

DETAOHABLE TREAD PIECE FOR SHOES. APPLICATION FILED DOT. 11. 1904.

anuentoz W'sinegom 12 L UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

JOSEPH MARTIN, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

DETAOHABLE TREAD-PIECE FOR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,001, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed October 17, 1904- Serial No. 228,722.

Be itknown that l, J os urn MARTIN, of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New Yorkghave invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Detachable 'lread-Pieces for Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive tread-piece or cushion for shoes which may be readily removed and replaced when worn out and which may be positioned at the point of the heel which the user most readily wears down.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

la the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view showing a removable heelsection equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 shows the construction of the lifts to accommodate the tread-piece. Fig. 3 shows the tread-piece removed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a removable heel-sectionthat is, such as is commonly attached either to a series of lower lifts of a heel or directly to the shank or lirst lift to enable it to be removed and replaced when worn out or to elevate the heel by its employment or lower the same by dispensing with it. Any preferred means may be employed for removably securing the heel-section 1.

As shown in Fig. 2, the upper lift 2 is cut away at its edge to accommodate the cushion 3 of the tread-piece a, Fig. 3. The edge of the lift 2 after cutting away a portion thereof may be of any shape best adapted to retain the cushion. I have shown this edge formed with a straight portion 5, extending longitudinally of the heel-section at about the center thereof, and a second straight portion 6 at substantially right angles to the portion 5, the edge between these straight portions being curved outwardly, as at T. The lift is perforated near the straight and curved portions of its edge, as at 8. lt is obvious that the lift may have the described formation on its opposite side, the tread-piece being constructed accordingly. The second lower lift 9 is cut away to a greater extent than lift 2, and its outline may correspond to that of the latter, as shown at 10, Fig. 2.

The tread-piece et comprises a base or plate 12 and the cushion 3. I prefer to make the plate of leather and the cushion of rubber. 'hile other materials may serve the purposes, it is essential that the base 12 be practically non-resilient, so that it will form a firm lilling between the lifts, since if a soft material be interposed between the lifts and extend partly over the surfaces thereof it has a tendency in use to cause the lifts to separate at the breast of the heel due to the extent of yielding material between them near their rear edges. The portion 3 while designed for a cushion, and for that reason preferably of rubber, is also for the purpose of taking the wear resulting from the contact of the heel with the ground or floor, and hence may or may not be resilient. lVhen it is merely designed for the latter purpose and not as a cushion, it may be of leather. The plate and cushion are shaped to correspond, respectively, with the edges of lifts 9 and 2, the plate being perforated, as at 13, to correspond with lift 2. \Vhen the tread-piece is positioned, screws or nails are driven through apertures 8 and 13 and the heel-section is ready to be attached to abootor shoe. Upon the cushion 3 wearing out the screws or nails securing the tread-piece may be removed and a new tread-piece substituted. This is easily done by even an unskilled person, since it is unnecessary to disturb the lifts in order to remove or insert a tread-piece.

It will be noted that the base 12 and contact member 3 being of like formation but of different sizes the contact member terminating at its ends and inner edge well within the corresponding parts of the base provides ample bearing-surface between the base and upper lift at the most effective points and enables the securing means to be inserted at such points. Furthermore, the ends and edges of both elements constitute shoulders engaging their respective lifts, and these, together with the securing means intermediate adjacent shoulders, prevent lateral displacement of the tread-piece.

While I have shown and described the treadpiece as attached to a removable heel-section, yet it is equally adapted to a shoe having a single permanent heel and may be put upon the latter in its manufacture. The advantage of the preferred form of embodiment, however, is that the complete device (shown in Fig. 1) may be made and sold in various sizes with or without additional tread-pieces to be used by the wearer. The heel-section may be attached to a right or left shoe, according as the contact member may be desired on the inner or outer side. Furthermore, the shape and position of the tread-piece may be varied, and thus provision made for the differences in the ways various heels are worn down.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a heel having its upper lift irregularly recessed or cut away along a portion of its edge to provide engaging shoulders, and the second lift recessed or cut away to a greater extent than said upper lift, of a removable tread-piece having a base or plate designed to be accommodated by the recess of said second lift, a contact member carried by said base or plate, and terminating at its ends and inner edge within said base and designed to be accommodated by the recess of said upper lift, and means for detachin formation to the recessed portion of said second lift, and a contact member carried by said base and corresponding in formation to the recessed portion of said upper lift, said contact member terminating at its ends and inner edge within the corresponding parts of said base, and means for detachably securing said base to said upper lift whereby a treadpieee may be inserted or withdrawn without removing the lifts of the heel.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH MARTIN.

W'itnesses:

GRAFTON L. McGILL, FREDERICK S. STILL. 

